CoolJunkie Interviews Brand Nubian

October 2, 2009 10:47 AM
by Marcos Colón

When it comes to hip-hop, the talent pool is thick, but when it comes to longevity, many of the artists lack the characteristic. Yes, names like Jay-Z, Diddy and Kanye West rule the airwaves and radio play, but there’s no telling how long they’ll be around. One group that’s been in the game since the late 80s is Brand Nubian, and after various hit records and immense popularity, the three members are still together and releasing music that gets respect from the entire hip-hop community. This Tuesday night they’ll be performing live at Mansion in South Beach for the club’s all new ‘Rewind’ monthly hip-hop party, brought to you by up and coming production company, Traffik.

CoolJunkie recently had the chance to chat with Brand Nubian’s Sadat X about their recent work, how hip-hop is still a music genre with an evolving identity, and their big show this Tuesday night at Mansion.

CoolJunkie: What’s been going with you guys lately? How’s that agenda?

Sadat X: Well basically I’ve been doing a few solo things here and there, I did Wild Cowboys Part Two. I’m also working on a project with a new group I got called Trinity, with Showbiz and A.G. and DJ Jax from Fat Beats. I’m also doing the Brand Nubian thing, which is going well.

CJ: When it comes to the tracks that you guys are currently working on, or may have just wrapped up, where do you draw most of your inspiration from when it comes to your lyrics?

Sadat X: Basically stuff that I see around me or situations that I witness. Basically about real life. I don’t get into the industry aspect of it, or the money and cars and stuff like that. I just try to keep it basic.

CJ: When it comes to beats for your tracks what do you look for? Do you have a specific sound in mind or a set of producers that you want to work with?

Sadat X: I just try to keep my sound uniform. I work with a lot of producers but I always try and keep the sound uniform. I just look for good music, I really don’t go into it looking for a specific beat or sound. Just whatever catches my ear that I think is catchy and that I think I can use and run with.

CJ: It seemed like you guys came from a time in hip-hop when it was more organic. Is there anything about hip-hop today that annoys you?

Sadat X: You have to realize that hip-hop changes. A lot of people are talking about how it’s fake now, but I really don’t believe that. I just believe that it’s different now, times change. The hip-hop I grew up with isn’t the hip-hop that my daughter listens to now. They’re saying there aren’t any more classics but songs that my daughter and them listen to, those are their classics. When I was coming up we had our own classics, like the Big Daddy Kanes and the Kool G Raps. Now the classics that she listens to are the Soulja Boys and the Lil Waynes. Those are the classics to her and you can’t hate on it because music changes and you just have to go with it or get out of it.

CJ: Who are some artists out there that you’d like to work with?

Sadat X: Well right now I’m working with A.G. I’ve always wanted to work with A.G., he’s a personal friend of mine and I’ve known him for a long time. I was fortunate to get Kurupt on a track just yesterday, and I was really happen about that because I’ve always admire him. I like to branch out into new things.

CJ: Tuesday you have a big gig in Miami at Mansion, and it also happens to be the first night of their monthly ‘Rewind’ hip-hop party. What do you guys look forward to most?

Sadat X: It’s going to be good to be down in Miami. It’s an “old-school” night so there will be people there that appreciate what we do. It’s always good to come down to Miami, it’s getting a little breezy in New York so it’s nice to be down there in the sun. It’s always a good place to go to. There’s a funny crowd in Miami sometimes. I’ve been to shows where there will be a lot of people, but I’ve also been to somewhere there was no one. So I’m trying to anticipate what type of reception we get in Miami.

CJ: If there’s one thing you’d like your fans to take away from your music, what would that be?

Sadat X: Just that it’s all about life, and life experiences. What we do and how we do it, it’s basically real music. When I say real I mean it’s stuff that you can identify with. It’s older music, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Hip-hop is redefining itself. It’s still a young genre, only what, 40 to 50 years old? Then there’s certain forms of music like classical that has compositions that were made three to 400 years ago. Hip-hop is still defining itself. I feel that a lot of times it doesn’t give respect to the older artists. A lot of times people ask me, “So when are you going to stop?” Why should I have to stop? In rock you have Rolling Stones that still tour.

CJ: What can we expect from you guys for the remainder of the year?

Sadat X: You’re definitely going to start hearing some new things coming out. I’m getting ready to drop some things. I know that Grand Puba has an album out right now, and Jamar is working on some stuff and we’re also working on some new Brand Nubian tracks so you’ll be hearing a lot.

Click here to hear more from Brand Nubian and Sadat X.

Click here for more information on the Brand Nubian show.